Local church leaders praise Pope's decision to retire

The last pope to resign was Pope Gregory XII, who stepped down in 1415 in a deal to end the Great Western Schism among competing papal claimants.Bishop Bernard A. Hebda of the Diocese of Gaylord is traveling in Nicaragua and was unable to be reached for comment. The Vicar General of the diocese, the Rev. Monsignor Francis J, Murphy, said in a statement that Pope Benedict XVI is to be admired for his decision.

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By Mike Fornes

Cheboygan Daily Tribune - Cheboygan, MI

By Mike Fornes

Posted Feb. 11, 2013 at 9:18 PM

By Mike Fornes

Posted Feb. 11, 2013 at 9:18 PM

Cheboygan, Mich.

By MIKE FORNES

mike@cheboygantribune.com

CHEBOYGAN — Shock, sadness and declarations of faith met Pope Benedict XVI's announcement Monday that he would retire Feb. 28. It also sparked reflection about what kind of pontiff should replace him.

The 85-year-old pope announced his decision in Latin during a meeting of Vatican cardinals on Monday morning.

He emphasized that carrying out the duties of being pope — the leader of more than a billion Roman Catholics worldwide — requires "both strength of mind and body."

"After having repeatedly examined my conscience before God, I have come to the certainty that my strengths due to an advanced age are no longer suited to an adequate exercise of the Petrine ministry," he told the cardinals. "I am well aware that this ministry, due to its essential spiritual nature, must be carried out not only by words and deeds but no less with prayer and suffering.

"However, in today's world, subject to so many rapid changes and shaken by questions of deep relevance for the life of faith, in order to govern the barque of St. Peter and proclaim the Gospel, both strength of mind and body are necessary — strengths which in the last few months, has deteriorated in me to the extent that I have had to recognize my incapacity to adequately fulfill the ministry entrusted to me."

The last pope to resign was Pope Gregory XII, who stepped down in 1415 in a deal to end the Great Western Schism among competing papal claimants.

Bishop Bernard A. Hebda of the Diocese of Gaylord is traveling in Nicaragua and was unable to be reached for comment. The Vicar General of the diocese, the Rev. Monsignor Francis J, Murphy, said in a statement that Pope Benedict XVI is to be admired for his decision.

"As the initial shock wears off and I have continued to reflect, I find myself admiring the Holy Father even more for making what surely was a very difficult decision," Murphy said. "His statement clearly illustrates that he has prayerfully wrestled with what would be best for the Church and her people. It seems he feels that he is no longer capable of fulfilling his ministry to the best of his ability and that

is what led him to this moment. I believe his decision reflects Pope Benedict's great love

for the Church, his deep faith and immense courage."

Locally, the leader of the Cheboygan Catholic Community expressed surprise but a sense of excitement about the events to come in electing a new pope.

"I was very surprised," said the Rev. Paul Megge, pastor of the Cheboygan Catholic Community. "I don't know if it's his age or not. This was the last thing I would have expected to hear about the pope, nobody could have predicted this."

Page 2 of 2 - The move sets the stage for the Vatican to hold a conclave to elect a new pope by mid-March, since the traditional mourning time that would follow the death of a pope doesn't have to be observed.

There are several papal contenders in the wings, but no obvious front-runner — the same situation when Benedict was elected pontiff in 2005 after the death of Pope John Paul II.

Contenders to be his successor include Cardinal Angelo Scola, archbishop of Milan, Cardinal Christoph Schoenborn, the archbishop of Vienna, and Cardinal Marc Ouellet, the Canadian head of the Vatican's office for bishops.

Longshots include Cardinal Timothy Dolan of New York. Although Dolan is popular and backs the pope's conservative line, the general thinking is that the Catholic Church doesn't need a pope from a "superpower."

"We have had two non-Italians back to back, but I can't even think of anybody who has the inside track," Megge said of the likelihood of an Italian being elected, or of the next pope being from Africa or South America. "There is talk; it wouldn't surprise me. The front-runners usually don't get elected anyway."

All cardinals under age 80 are allowed to vote in the conclave, the secret meeting held in the Sistine Chapel where cardinals cast ballots to elect a new pope. As per tradition, the ballots are burned after each voting round; black smoke that snakes out of the chimney means no pope has been chosen, while white smoke means a pope has been elected.

Popes are allowed to resign; church law specifies only that the resignation be "freely made and properly manifested."

"It could be a very exciting time; something very new," Megge said. "I'm very interested in it. We could be in for a pleasant surprise. I think it will go very well and it will go very smoothly."

Benedict was elected pope at age 78 — already the oldest pope elected in nearly 300 years.